Spy games turn real as eavesdropping technology spreads

When is the last time you used your mobile phone? Did you say anything
important? Are you sure no one else was listening? There are rising
concerns in the Czech Republic about the increasingly common use of devices
that can intercept your daily mobile communication. Masha Volynsky has
more.

Photo: Emin Ozkan, stock.XCHNG
It may sound like something out of the TV series The Wire, but a small box,
known in the Czech Republic as Agáta, may be listening in on your mobile
phone calls at any moment. Agáta, or IMSI Catcher, is essentially an
eavesdropping device that, by using relatively simple hardware, can track
phone calls and SMS messages coming in and out of mobile phones in a
specific radius.

Jan Valos, a radio frequency engineer and hacker explains how an IMSI
Catcher works once it is connected to a computer:

“It sends out a signal that is basically like the one coming from a
cellular phone base station, which is why a mobile phone would voluntarily
connect to it. If someone uses the device wisely and carefully, and does
not stay in one place for too long, it is practically impossible to catch
them.”

The use of Agátas is becoming increasingly widespread in the Czech
Republic. Although their functioning is practically undetectable to the
users of phones being tracked, they can sometimes be intercepted by a
police scanner.

The head of Czech Criminal Police unit for wiretapping, Tomáš Almer,
confirmed they have been registering more and more uses of Agátas around
the country. But no one has yet been caught for using an IMSI Catcher and
it has not been determined how many Agátas are operating in the Czech
Republic.

Andor Šándor, photo: Czech Television
The Czech police sometimes use similar wiretapping devices during
investigations, but they are required by law to obtain a court-sanctioned
warrant. Most likely, though, there are not many Agátas in their
possession, given their exorbitant pricing which can be up to 20 million
Czech crowns. For private persons, it is illegal in the Czech Republic to
turn an IMSI catcher on, but there are no laws prohibiting their purchase.

Former head of the Czech Military Intelligence Agency and a security
analyst Andor Šándor underscored the danger of the widespread sale of
Agátas:

"It’s been a known fact for a few years now that some companies do
sell these devices. But if their use will not be in any way regulated, and
access to these devices will not be in any way controlled, then a regular
citizen can do absolutely nothing. The only way people can safeguard
themselves is if they reveal only the necessary information during their
mobile communication. But, obviously that goes against normal behavior of
free persons."

At this point it is also becoming harder to trace who produces Agátas.
Although an IMSI catcher was originally patented by a German company Rohde
and Schwarz, it has been hard to maintain exclusivity because of its
generic nature. This year, Court of Appeal of England and Wales even
invalidated the patent for reasons of obviousness.

Although Czech authorities are not willing to speculate on the subject,
Mr. Šándor claims that the most likely private users of Agátas are
security firms or rival businesses, or even companies trying to win
high-stakes tenders. But there is no way to regulate the activities of
either one of those groups. And there have been fears that some
extortionist gangs may use this technology for nefarious purposes. So far,
neither the police nor the lawmakers are doing anything to protect Czech
residents from being unknowingly monitored.